Jon Daniels: This is the Daniels’ first major act since March 1, when he added the title of president of baseball operations to general manager as ownership cut into the authority of chief executive office Nolan Ryan. Did Daniels operate with full autonomy, or did he bring Ryan into the discussions?If Ryan was frozen out, he has another big reason to leave the organization.

HOUSTON — Shortstop and quarterback —
they are crucial positions of leadership, the ones that so often signal which
direction a team is headed.

The Cowboys locked up their quarterback Friday to a round
of local laughter and national derision. The Rangers appear close to locking up
their shortstop to nearly universal applause.

Both reactions are mostly correct although they
oversimplify the nature of the deals. The Cowboys had to extend Tony Romo in
order to lower his salary cap figure for the 2013 season and to have money to
sign draft picks. Their position up against the NFL’s punitive cap is just that
bad.

Despite the blemishes on Romo’s résumé, to keep him and
hope for improvement is better than not to have him and start from scratch. See
“Buffalo Bills sign Kevin Kolb” for more information on this topic.

Still the manner in which the Cowboys allowed Romo and his
agent to act as if they had all the leverage, thus landing a deal with $55
million in guaranteed money, is laughable. Super Bowl quarterback Joe Flacco,
coming off one of the greatest postseason runs ever and a playoff winner in
each of his five seasons, just signed for $52 million guaranteed.

Yes, it’s silly. It speaks to the worst aspects of Jerry
Jones as general manager, forever overvaluing his own players against common
sense.

In the case of Elvis Andrus, the Rangers deserve that
applause for two reasons. One is that Major League Baseball and the NFL operate
under salary rules as different as the games themselves. If the Rangers are
slightly overpaying Andrus for his defense at $15 million a year, well, it has
only an indirect impact on what the team can afford to pay others. There is a
luxury tax to be avoided, but there is no salary cap to pull on the reins.

Second, there has been an assumption among Rangers fans
that when Andrus becomes a free agent in two years — about the time Derek Jeter
hangs it up — the Yankees would be the natural suitor for his services. Maybe
an even more outlandish bid would come from the modern-day free-spending kings,
the Los Angeles Dodgers looking to move Hanley Ramirez off shortstop.

Either way, given that super agent Scott Boras represents
Andrus, there was reason to fear the worst.

If the Rangers and Boras
do finalize terms on a reported eight-year deal, it does more than keep Andrus
out of pinstripes or Dodger Blue. With Andrus and Kinsler under long-term deals
and with Jurickson Profar ready to man one of those middle infield spots, the
Rangers are deep in a place where being deep is a luxury. They have multiple
options, including moving Kinsler to first base or left field (probably next
season).

In a perfect Rangers world, Andrus would hit with more
power. His home run totals in his four seasons in Texas — 6, 0, 5, 3 — do not suggest an
outburst is forthcoming. His career-best slugging percentage in 2012 (.378) was
well below what Kinsler did in a down year (.423) for him.

Andrus’ speed on the bases enhances his impact as an
offensive player although last season he fell below the 30-steals mark for the
first time, getting caught 10 times in the Rangers’ rambunctious approach to
running while recording 21 steals.

Rangers fans love the spectacular plays Andrus makes in
the field. Those come with more than a handful of mistakes. His 41 errors the
last two seasons are second in the AL behind Baltimore’s Mark
Reynolds, a corner infielder.

But Andrus’ range is undeniably special. It ranks with the
best in baseball.

Spend about five minutes in the Rangers’ clubhouse and you
will see the leadership that he and third baseman Adrian Beltre bring to this
team, even when they’re not performing as the league’s finest left side of the
infield.

For a team that plays home games in a hitter’s park, a
shortstop that can cover the diamond as Andrus can is a cornerstone worth
keeping in Texas and away from the Yankees, Dodgers and other World Series
hopefuls for years to come.

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About Tim Cowlishaw

Tim Cowlishaw has been The Dallas Morning News' lead sports columnist since July 1998. Prior to that he covered the Cowboys for six seasons and the Stars for three as a beat reporter. He also covered the Rangers as a backup beat writer and was the San Jose Mercury News' beat writer on the San Francisco Giants in the late 1980s.

Tim has been appearing regularly on ESPN"s "Around the Horn" since the show made its debut in November 2002. He also worked with ESPN as part of the network's "NASCAR Now" coverage in 2007-08.

Favorite Dallas restaurants: Park, Nick and Sam's, Kenichi.

Worst sports prediction: His first in college ... that Earl Campbell had no shot at the Heisman Trophy.

Best sports memories: Seeing the Dallas Stars hoist the Stanley Cup long after midnight in Buffalo, watching the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl and Texas win the national title in perfect Rose Bowl settings.